Region titles and first-round home playoff berths are at stake across the Southern Six this week as Gulfport travels to Ocean Springs, Picayune hosts George County, Stone hosts Gautier and Greene County travels to Poplarville.
Each game has huge playoff implications as teams look to secure region championships and home playoff games. The larger classifications will close out the regular season next week while 4A down to 1A will wrap up the regular season on Thursday night and Friday night.
In Region 4-6A, George County (6-3, 3-0) heads to Picayune to battle the Maroon Tide (7-2, 3-0).
Each team enters the contest averaging more than 35 points per game this season and more than 50 points per game in their three region wins.
Picayune once again depends on a stout running game averaging nearly 350 yards per game behind Darrell Smith. The senior has racked up more than 1,700 yards. He is averaging nearly 200 yards per game and has scored 19 TDs. Smith also leads the team with nine receptions for 137 yards and a TD.
Quarterback Brandon Parker Jr. directs the offense but is also a key part of the Picayune defense with 31 tackles. Senior Jeremiah Grant leads the defense with 47 tackles while Makon Burnette leads the team with six tackles for loss.
The Maroon Tide defense will once again be tested by a Rebels team that put up a school-record 68 points last week. Deuce Knight, this week’s 228 Player of the Week, accounted for 600-plus yards of total offense and nine TDs in the record-setting performance. The five-star Auburn commit has thrown for 1,600-plus yards and 21 TDs while rushing for 230-plus yards and three TDs in only six games.
Brendan Gautier leads the Rebels in rushing with 783 yards and has scored 11 TDs while Brenn Moody has nearly 800 yards receiving, hauling in nine TDs.
Tyneke Davis, Blaine Greene and Kohl Bradley lead a Rebels defense faced with the challenge of slowing down the Maroon Tide’s rushing attack.
Picayune has defeated George County in 12 of the 18 meetings, including five in a row. The Maroon Tide can clinch the region title with a win while the Rebels can clinch with a win coupled with a Pascagoula loss.
Just up the road in Poplarville the scenario is simple. The winner of the Greene County-Poplarville contest will claim the 8-4A crown as both teams come in 3-0 in the region.
The Hornets are looking for their third consecutive region title while the Wildcats are looking for their first since 2019. Greene County defeated Poplarville 29-28 last year in Leakesville to make the postseason.
Overall, the Wildcats have won 10 of the 17 meetings while the Hornets have claimed five of the last seven.
In 4-7A, Ocean Springs (4-4, 3-0) and Gulfport (7-2, 3-0) once again meet to settle the region title.
A win for the Greyhounds would give them their third consecutive title while the Admirals are looking for their first title since 2019. Ocean Springs has dominated the series in recent history, winning four in a row, while Gulfport took the previous five and leads the series 21-11.
Ocean Springs can finish no worse than second in the region and a loss by Gulfport could make next week’s Admirals game against Harrison Central a battle for second place behind the Greyhounds.
In 4-5A, Gautier can secure the region crown with a win at Stone. The Gators sit atop the standings at 3-0 while Stone and Vancleave are 2-1.
A win for the Tomcats takes the region race down to the final week with Vancleave in the mix.
The Gators defeated the Tomcats last season and have won 11 of their 15 meetings. The Gators’ last region championship came in 2008 while the Tomcats took home a region title in 2022.
